All He Needs
by Kosaka
Summary: sidefic for "Falling Over You". A little fluff, a little angst, and a lot of cute Rin moments (because we all know she is). How DID Sess end up becoming a demon exterminator anyway? Complete.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and I don't own Fluffy. *frowns* But I DO own. . . ah. . . um. . . a plastic smurf in a karate uniform. (like I was going to say something useful-ptah!)  
  
Summary: A fluffy little fic about how Sesshomaru became a demon exterminator, and why he gave up on the tetsusaiga. A sidefic for "Falling over You" which should be read after the main fic, but I guess it's not absolutely imperative to read that one first; it'll just. . . make more sense that way. It takes place between Kuma's leaving his castle and when he meets up with her again in the village during the last chapter. Beware cute Rin moments.'cause we all know she is.  
  
--------------  
  
All He Needs  
  
By: Banshee Puppet  
  
Sesshomaru waved off the last of his servants for the evening and, shutting his eyes, squeezed at the flesh between his eyes. Court business was pulling on the last strings of his sanity; it was just so 'boring', and he couldn't see how he could possibly be needed for such small and insignificant details. Fact is, he was certain that he wasn't needed for them at all, and he couldn't care less whether the cupboard in the west wing was stocked with rum or bourbon-he didn't drink either, after all. And if the lace in the main dining hall was French vanilla instead of chantilly lace, he had this crazy feeling that he wouldn't even notice. 'Well, now I will, after having been forced into discussing the matter for over an HOUR.'  
  
And now he was pleasantly alone. Finally. No one to bother him. And he had a migraine from spending the day being asked inane questions of no real consequence.  
  
When the door opened again, he cringed. He was in a sour mood and didn't care to be disturbed. "Go away," he groaned.  
  
*Sniffle*  
  
'Hm?' Sesshomaru looked up.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Rin. I didn't realize it was you," he said as he let his arm drop onto the plush velvet of the chair. It was a nice chair, elaborate and ornate, it suited someone of his stature, but all he cared about right now, and most other times, was that it was comfortable.  
  
The little girl shuffled towards him slowly, unsure if she should be bothering him when he had that pained expression on his usually impassive face. She stopped at the foot of his chair, looking rather uncertain.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, and with a deep breath, she climbed up into his lap and smiled widely. He returned the gesture with a tiny upward motion of his lips and a slight bowing of his head.  
  
"Rin had nobody to play with today," she said as she cuddled up in his lap.  
  
"What about Jaken?" he asked softly, moving his right hand to work the tangles out of her dark hair absently as she cuddles up against him.  
  
'Rin, you are the only thing that keeps me sane anymore, and you don't even realize. Thank you.'  
  
"Jaken is no fun, just mean. I miss Kuma. Kuma used to play with Rin."  
  
'Kuma. I've been trying not to think of you, but it's so hard. And the tetsusaiga. I know you told me to continue the quest for it, but lately.am I the only one who feels as if that particular quest is getting a tad bit.tedious?'  
  
"I miss her too, Rin."  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama used to play with Rin too."  
  
He couldn't help a tiny smile. "I'm sorry Rin. I've been very busy lately."  
  
"Why?"  
  
'Now that IS the question, isn't it? Why? I'm not needed here. I can go wherever I please.'  
  
"You're right Rin. I think we should take a trip somewhere. Perhaps we'll pay my brother a visit," he said, but Rin had already fallen asleep.  
  
'Tetsusaiga. Prepare yourself. I'm going to defeat Inuyasha this time and claim you for myself.' But even this promise was only half-hearted.  
  
Sesshomaru awakened about an hour after dawn still sitting in the velvet chair to find that Rin was already well awake and ready, and braiding his hair. Apparently she was as bored as he was. If it was anyone else, he'd likely swat them away and then kill them.no, on second thought, kill them first, then swat them away, but, well, it was Rin, and he had a soft-spot for the girl.  
  
"Rin, what are you doing?  
  
Rin's eyes widen. 'Uhoh. Busted.' She looks as if she's fairly certain she is officially in a lot of trouble, so instead of answering, she just, as quickly as she can, unbinds the three long braids that she's made on the left side of her guardian's head. When she is finished, she hops out of his lap and bites her bottom lip, looking down at the floor, then up at Sesshomaru, then down at the floor again.  
  
"You're not in trouble," he tells her finally, and thrilled about this decision, she leaps up into his arms and tosses her arms happily around his neck with a giggle. A startled expression breaks his usual emotionless mask and he gives her a few tense pats on the back.  
  
"Time to go?" she asks, but before Sesshomaru can answer, there is a knock on the door. He groans. 'If I get asked about color patterns for the east wing one more time, I swear.'  
  
He glances at the window, pondering escape and shakes his head in disdain of the idea. Sesshomaru of the Western Lands does NOT escape his help through conveniently placed windows! That was something Kuma would do. No, he decides, if they decide to hassle him today, he'll just kill them all and hire new help, better help.for less money. Or, better yet, make Jaken handle it in his stead. Yes, he liked that idea much better.  
  
"What is it?" he asks finally.  
  
"Eramil wants to know what you've decided on for the west." Jaken began to say as he snuck into the room, stopping abruptly as Sesshomaru held up his hand to silence him.  
  
"Whatever he decides is fine. I do not wish to be bothered about draperies, color schemes, or the patterns on dinnerware that I don't even use any longer, and the next person who makes such an attempt shall be executed.publicly executed. Now, Rin and I are going on a.vacation. Are you coming or not, Jaken?"  
  
"Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru."  
  
Sesshomaru leaned over the stream, cupping water in his hand to wash his face, bringing the cool water through his long white hair. He cupped the water again and took a small sip, not that he really needed it, he was a demon after all and it was rare that he understood why others of his kind insisted on constantly indulging in these things which were unnecessary for their survival, but on a hot day like this, it just plain felt good. He didn't want to waste time, but he couldn't really say that he would much mind just lying here in the sun for a while, or moving to the deeper water in the alcove upstream to bathe in the fresh water there. When the summer got this hot, he thought, 'I wouldn't mind being lazy, just this once,' but he never allowed himself that pleasure. Bathing in the alcove was unnecessary, as was lazying around on the shore for the afternoon, but as he stood to meet up with Jaken and Rin once again, he couldn't help but think, 'Kuma would do it. She would just say to hell with whatever else I had planned for today. It can wait. And she would go down and take a long bath in the alcove, get dressed again and sprawl herself out on the grass for a nap.' A faint smile graces his features briefly as he thinks about his love. 'But I'm not Kuma.' And with that thought in mind, he decides, he'd better get a move on and heads to go find the others.  
  
But Rin finds him first. She's giggling and chasing after a frog, having the time of her life, and he notices, she's also disgustingly filthy. The tiny frog jumps into the water and swims away and Rin turns a wide grin up at Sesshomaru.  
  
"What sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" he asks with a sigh as he looks at his human child, who is now covered with mud, dirt, grass stains, and any assortment of other things that children can get into.  
  
He sighs inwardly and, at her urgent hand gestures, kneels down as she appears to want him to do. Bad idea, because what she seemed to want was to give him a rather large hug, and now his hair where her arms wrapped around him, and the entire front of his shirt are covered in the same sludge.  
  
'Rin, if you were anyone else, I swear.' he thought, and considered returning the tiny girl's embrace when Jaken came into the clearing.  
  
"Gah! Filthy child!" he was about to scold her when Sesshomaru lifted Rin and stood before the toad demon, dropping a bit of money at his feet.  
  
"Jaken, I would like you to go to the village ahead and purchase Rin a new kimono. I won't be seen with her walking around in this filthy thing. Take your time, we'll be in the area when you return."  
  
"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken said, picking up the coins and scurrying off.  
  
Sesshomaru looks at Rin and starts walking downstream. "It looks as if you and I will be taking a bath after all," he told her exhaustively. 'And I'll wash the mud out of my clothes,' he added mentally, knowing he must be covered in the stuff by now.  
  
Rin just giggled. He knew he should be angrier with her, but he was secretly grateful for the excuse, though he knew it wouldn't be nearly as peaceful with the little girl's rumored bath antics, which he had never actually witnessed first hand, nor had he ever cared to, if they were anything at all like whatever had gotten her so dirty in the first place, but, he supposed it would be alright. She hardly ever acted badly in his presence, after all.  
  
He put her down when he got to the secluded little alcove.  
  
"Now," he said, "bath time." And looking down at his own kimono he added, "for both of us."  
  
He removed the small bit of armor he wore and began unfastening his tunic, realizing only vaguely that the girl had never seen him without his shirt on and likely didn't even realize that he only had the one arm with which to work, but the thought passed quickly and it was already forgotten when he heard a tiny gasp.  
  
"What is it, Rin?" he asked when he saw where she was staring. He looked down at the limb. He was still angry at Inuyasha over that, but he knew, eventually, it would grow back. That was the advantage of being a demon, and having the ability to heal over time. He couldn't really be angry about something so impermanent, even though having something like that to be angry at Inuyasha about made it much easier to try to kill him over their father's sword. Hating was becoming more difficult these days though. His brother was Kuma's friend, so he had accepted that it was simply something he would have to learn to live with, and it wasn't as difficult to get over as he'd thought it might be. The arm would grow back, something for which he really only had himself to blame, and he couldn't really claim that it was Inuyasha's fault that his father had chosen a human woman to mate with, after all, the pup wasn't even born yet, and besides that, it was a bit hypocritical to hate someone for falling into a trap that one has fallen into themselves. Nevermind, none of that was important now.  
  
Rin held up one arm, her expression mildly horrified, as if she wanted to touch it, then pulled the arm back, deciding that she definitely didn't want to touch it at all.  
  
"It's fine Rin," he told her. "It will grow back," he said softly. 'Eventually.' "Now stop wasting time. You're filthy and need to clean yourself up," he told her as he turned, dunking his shirt under the water and rubbing the dirt out as best he could. He so rarely had to do this sort of thing himself.  
  
He couldn't suppress his surprise when Rin came over and took the garment from him, using her tiny hands to scrub the dirt out of it.  
  
"Rin will do it," she said. "Sesshomaru-sama can take his bath. Rin will finish the washing first and then bathe."  
  
For a moment, he was too startled to speak. Had she always been so sweet and kind? And he remembers back to when she first found him and tried to bring him water and food which he didn't need, and decided, yes, she had been, but why had it taken him so long to notice?  
  
He cupped a bit of water and scrubbed off her dirt-streaked face, her tiny nose crinkled and he kissed her on the forehead gently. "You're a good girl, Rin," he told her, and after patting her on the head finished undressing and slipped into the cool water, moving to the other side of the alcove and submerging himself to allow the water to clean the mud out of his long white hair. That felt much better. He leaned back against some rocks, let his head loll back and his eyes drift closed as he listened to Rin moving about on the shore. He was startled by a slight splash of water against his chest and his head jolted up, eyes darting open quickly, only to find a very wet and much cleaner Rin in front of him giggling.  
  
She looked up at him as if checking to see if she was in trouble, and when she decided that she wasn't, she splashed again, bigger this time.  
  
"You're a little trouble-maker, aren't you," he said as she grinned up at him.  
  
"Rin is a good girl," she answered with a smile and splashed some more.  
  
He lifted a hand and splashed back slightly, as if he was testing the impulse, and told her, "alright, enough, cut that out."  
  
But Rin took the splash as permission to continue and giggled as she splashed about some more. He gave her a few small splashes back, bemused over their little water fight. It was.pleasant, though he would never admit that out loud. Finally, he gave her one slightly bigger splash and said, "alright, I'm serious this time. Jaken will be back soon and you haven't even washed your hair. Now lean back," he told her.  
  
Finally deciding that he was indeed serious as he cupped a handful of water and dumped it over the top of her head, which was still, by some miracle, dry, she leaned her head back in the water and he ran his claws through it to quicken the process of removing all that dirt.  
  
"There now, finished."  
  
"All clean!" Rin announced happily and bounced up to give him another hug. He smiled over her shoulder.  
  
'Yes. All clean, ' he thought. 'Rin, my adorable little Rin who fears nothing. You're going to grow up in hardly any time at all, aren't you? And when you do, what then? Will you leave me all alone? My daughter...are you going to leave me too?' "Alright Rin, we've wasted enough time. Out of the water now, little fish," he told her, noting her desire to stay and play some more.  
  
The sun had dried his kimono almost completely now and he slipped it on, looking at the little girl's orange kimono, clean now, but badly worn.  
  
"I suppose it'll have to do until Jaken returns," he said as he saw her pulling her arms through the sleeves. 'Speaking of Jaken, he's never taken this long before. I know I told him to take his time, but, this isn't like him.' "Come Rin. Let's go find that worthless toad," he said and began walking when the girl stopped him.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, before she, rather cautiously, grasped his hand.  
  
'I've never done anything to encourage her to be close to me, have I?' he realizes. 'Until today.'  
  
It takes him a moment to decide how to react, but finally, he closes his fingers gently around the tiny hand and walks more slowly to match pace with her. He'd always made her run to keep up before. Perhaps it was time he stopped that.  
  
"Alright, hurry up," he told her and they began walking down the road towards the village.  
  
It wasn't long before Sesshomaru heard Jaken's voice, and smelled something in the air. Sweat, and some very foul-mouthed humans, just up ahead. He took his time reaching them, it wasn't as if Jaken would die for being beaten up by a few human men, he'd caused more harm to the little toad demon himself, and with almost no effort at all.  
  
"Jaken, what is the meaning of this," he said when he had gotten close enough and slipped his hand out of Rin's light grip.  
  
"L-l-lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken stuttered. "I was on my way back when these foul-mannered."  
  
Sesshomaru held up his hand for silence as the three bandits turned toward him, not sure whether he was merely another they could try to rob, of if he might be trouble for them. This was apparent in their expressions.  
  
"Has my assistant done something to insult you, gentlemen?" he asked steadily.  
  
Seeing the human child at his side, they seemed to decide he was indeed nothing to be concerned about and attacked at once. He lifted the girl easily, leapt over their heads and set her down gently beside the toad demon.  
  
"Watch her Jaken. These pests are right in my way," he said as he let the venom seep down to his claws that would make quick work of them.  
  
Noting this, the bandits started to run. 'Fools. You won't get away.'  
  
He leapt in the air, slashing through the back of the first one, throwing the second head first into the tree, and the third, already with the stench of fear on him in but those few moments had the honor of being kicked in the chest before having a claw split open his throat.  
  
Sesshomaru wiped clean his claws absently with a leaf, and left the bodies lying in the road for the crows to feast on.  
  
"I trust you have a kimono for Rin, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked steadily, as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru," he said, holding up the wrapped package under his arm.  
  
Sesshomaru took it and ripped it open with his claw, pulling out the powder pink garment with tiny red lotus flowers embroidered to the bottom. 'He chose what I would have,' he thought. 'Though I know what she's likely to do to it.'  
  
He handed the contents of the package to Rin and told her, "go change, quickly."  
  
With a characteristic wide grin, she took the kimono and went off the road, not far, and put on the new pink kimono. 'It's so pretty,' she thought, and came out of the bushes, spreading her arms and spinning around as she giggled.  
  
"Yes Rin, it looks very nice. Now, time to go," Sesshomaru said impatiently and began off down the road.  
  
"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin called as she ran after him, once again grabbing onto his hand again.  
  
Jaken looked at Sesshomaru inquisitively as he saw his master's fingers wrap around the tiny digits, and was rewarded with a scowl from the greater demon, who seemed to be of the opinion at current moment, that he could hold whoever's hand he saw fit, and he would not tolerate being questioned on the matter.  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru.um."  
  
"What is it, Jaken?"  
  
"The village sir, they are troubled by a demon. Not that that is important sir, but, I thought you should know."  
  
"Fine."  
  
'A demon hm? This could prove interesting.'  
  
"Gah! Demon!" villagers scrambled when the saw Sesshomaru. Not that he minded, much, but it was late and this was usually around the time that Rin ate dinner, and he wanted to see that she was fed. He scowled slightly in irritation, pointing at one of the villagers, "You. Come here," he said.  
  
The frightened villager pointed at himself and asked silently, "me?" When Sesshomaru nodded, the boy cautiously approached.  
  
"Y-y-yes?" he asked, the scent of fear rather apparent on him.  
  
"Rin is hungry. Where may I find a place for her to eat?" he asked.  
  
"Rin?" the boy asked.  
  
"Yes, Rin, my ward," Sesshomaru returned with more patience than he thought he had as he gestured towards the little girl in the pink kimono who still had him by the hand. "Surely you have an eating establishment somewhere in your village."  
  
"Oh, uh! Yeah, the tavern. It's right over there," the boy pointed, staring down at Rin as if trying to discern if she was in fact, as she appeared to be, a human child.  
  
Sesshomaru nodded curtly and turned towards the building. "Come Jaken."  
  
The tavern was dimly lit, but that didn't matter to Sesshomaru, his demon eyes could see everything, and he could smell it on them, the fear, but it was an old fear that had nothing to do with him, though his presence was hardly helping.  
  
"What can I get for you?" the waitress, her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, asked.  
  
Sesshomaru turned to Rin, "tell the lady what you would like to eat, Rin," he said.  
  
Rin put her thumb to her chin in thought for a few moments and then said finally, "fish!"  
  
The woman couldn't help but smile at Rin's triumphant expression over the decision.  
  
"Fish soup, or patties and rice?" she asked the girl, who frowned at having to make another decision, she looked up at Sesshomaru wide-eyed, having, since she had met him, never had to decide what to eat; it had always been whatever was given to her. When he didn't give her an answer, she looked back up at the waitress and thought again, answering "patty," after a long deliberation.  
  
The waitress knew that it would probably be another long, hard decision ahead, but asked anyway, "and to drink?"  
  
But Rin had been ready for this one, and answered happily, "apple juice!" Her favorite. The waitress then turned to the demons, still a little leery around them, but unable to be entirely afraid of anyone who would raise such a cute little girl.  
  
"And for you?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing, thank you," Sesshomaru answered, at which the waitress nodded, and prepared to put Rin's order in. "I am, however, curious as to the nature of this demon that has this village so afraid, if you would tell me about it when you return," he added, on second thought.  
  
Sesshomaru couldn't understand what was so terrifying about a serpent demon, but then, they WERE humans, after all.  
  
"You say this serpent comes to your village regularly?" he asked as Rin sat drinking her juice and eating her fish patty.  
  
"Yes, once every five days, at least," the old man answered.  
  
Sesshomaru nodded. "I shall take care of it for you," he decided.  
  
"You'll what?! But, Lord Sesshomaru.!" Jaken squealed.  
  
"Enough Jaken, I said I shall take care of this serpent youkai and that is what I intend to do," he said.  
  
"But.why? You are Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, are you not? What do you care if our village is destroyed by a serpent or not?" the village elder, who had taken on the work of informing the great demon of their situation.  
  
"I don't, actually," Sesshomaru answered matter of factly. "But I'm bored, and it's something to do."  
  
"Lord Sesshomaru!" the young boy called as he rushed into the room that had been arranged for him and his company during their stay. It was small, simple, but well-kept. Everything that he might need was supplied to him as he asked for it. "G-gomen nasai," he said breathlessly. "The serpent youkai is here, he's probably nearly made it to the village by now."  
  
Sesshomaru nodded. "Rin, stay here with Jaken. I shall return shortly," he told the girl as he stood and sought out the demon. When he exited the small house, he could smell the demon then, along with the distinctive smell of fire, and blood, burnt flesh.  
  
'Serpent indeed,' Sesshomaru thought. 'This village is troubled by a dragon.' No matter; what was one dragon to him. He'd defeated such beasts before. Today would be no different. Earth dragons, he had heard, were wingless, and as such, much resembled serpent demons, but serpent demons spit venom, not fire.  
  
It was a large dragon, old, but not ancient. Avoid the part that breathes fire, and it would be an easy kill. He wondered how the mortals had missed that point. Of course, they had missed it though. They didn't have a demon's speed. He could, and did, get behind the beast with ease, using his venom whip to destroy it before his feet ever touched the ground. A five minute exercise, no more, but for the time it lasted, he had enjoyed it. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed anything so much. 'Too bad he was so weak. That was almost fun,' he thought, flipping hair back over his shoulder with a small motion of his head.  
  
The morning came with grateful villagers who wished to show their gratitude by means of monetary compensation, which he refused.  
  
"I have no need of your money. I was bored; I killed your dragon for you. I need no thanks or reminders of the deed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be leaving now," he told them.  
  
"You're heading North," the boy who'd been so afraid of him on the first day asked.  
  
"I am."  
  
"Please be careful. The rumors say that a demon much more powerful than the dragon you slew for us resides in that direction."  
  
'In that case, I'm definitely going North,' Sesshomaru decided, careful not to smile at the thought of fighting with a demon more powerful than the dragon of the night before.  
  
"Don't concern yourself with my affairs," he said steadily as he passed the boy and continued on the journey with Jaken and Rin.  
  
Alright, so technically, Inuyasha and his companions were South of their present location. They were headed North at a pace quicker than his own and were bound to catch up eventually. Why go seeking them in that case? It would simply be a waste of energy that he could use on other things. Sesshomaru was in no rush, there were plenty of villagers to save from evil demons in the meantime, right? Not that he cared about the villagers-no, by no means, but.it was as good an excuse as any. He was just glad to have something to do, and wondered if this was exactly what Kuma had had in mind when she told him to keep seeking the tetsusaiga. 'Perhaps, but I doubt she was being deliberate as all that.' All the same, he had a feeling she'd guessed that something else would come up to keep him entertained, and this was a thought he couldn't help but smile at. Kuma was a woman incapable of being serious about much of anything, it seemed, a child trapped in sunshine so long, she didn't know how NOT to smile.and at the same time, she wore that endless smile like a mask, and that is what he loved about her. She was all illusions, but she deceived no one. And they both knew it.  
  
Sesshomaru had almost forgotten how many demons there were in the world until he was killing them. It seemed as if everywhere he went, there was another village, and another demon terrorizing it. None of that mattered much. Actually, after the first few villages, a rather peculiar phenomenon had seemed to envelop him. Once, he was Lord Sesshomaru, Great Demon of the Western Lands. Now, it seemed he was someone entirely else, that was both the same man, and someone else entirely. These villagers didn't fear him any longer, they welcomed him; he had become a sort of hero to them, him, a demon, hero of humans. It was peculiar and amusing.  
  
"You're THAT Sesshomaru? The one who killed the dragon in one swipe, the one who made the Stone Man cry? Sesshomaru the Demon Exterminator. That's you right?" one child had asked him, seemingly thrilled at the idea.  
  
"I am," Sesshomaru answered, doing his best to keep his unphased expression, but having a harder time of it with each day that passed. He wasn't certain that he liked not being feared any longer, but he liked being honored. It wasn't that these humans didn't know he could destroy them in a heartbeat, but that they believed he wouldn't, and that felt a little good, not that he'd ever admit it. The only thing he would ever admit to was the simple fact that saving villages and defeating supposedly powerful demons was fun; it amused him, and that was all he needed. That, and one other thing.  
  
. "K-Kuma?"  
  
"Did you beat the bad demon?" Rin asked, holding her arms up to him.  
  
He lifted her, making no move or gesture of disgust when she cradled her head into his shoulder and wrapped her tiny arms about her neck.  
  
Instead, he stared in shock at his love, whose newfound youkai blood only made her seem more beautiful, more exquisite, and not because there was demon in her, but because, to look at her now, was to look at someone who, after years of wandering without a method or destination, had by some chance adventure, found themselves, suddenly and inexplicably home. She was bearing her true smile, which was not the manic grin that he had once known, but soft, and kind, and also very strong, unflinchingly resolute, determined.  
  
And when she asked him who he was, and what he had done with the man she once knew, he said he'd tell her over dinner, but his eyes had already told her all that she needed to hear. 'Stay. Never leave me again. I love you and, I'm ready. To give up everything I was, to raise this child as a father would, and to be your forever.'  
  
And that night, as she watched him tuck in the tiny human child and tell her to go to sleep, that they would all still be here in the morning, Kuma knew that his eyes had not been lying, and she slipped from the doorway, and waited for him under the cover of stars.  
  
There were no words for him to say; he stared at her gently, touched her face softly, and finally, it was she who spoke.  
  
"Forever is a long time, you know," she said with a newfound serenity in her liquid voice.  
  
"It is.not long enough," he told her, smiling as he brushed the hair from her eyes, wanting to kiss her, to embrace her and never let go, but knowing, needing to know, that she too had found what she'd been looking for.  
  
But Kuma was silent for a long time, longer than he thought necessary, not looking at him really, but past him, over his shoulder and at the stars. A tiny fear crept its way inside his chest and grew, until, after that one severe moment, she said softly, "I'm ready too." She hadn't finished speaking when he pulled her tightly into his arms, excited and happy for the first time since. he could not recall such happiness ever before in his life. He had never allowed it. He planted tiny kisses over her brow, he cheeks, her pliable, pink lips. Were the human villagers on the street watching? Of course they were; he didn't care; he would never care again. This was his happiness. This was his woman whom he hoped one day would permit him to call her his wife. Had he gone soft after all? Yes. Gods yes. And he knew that he would do it all again, a million times and for a million reasons. He would regret nothing, change nothing. No matter what came after this, his life was all that he wanted, perfect. To hell with the people watching, his pride, his brother-to hell with his father's choices, and to hell with the blasted tetsusaiga. This was all he needed- this moment alone could last him all eternity, but he knew that there would be others like it, many others, he would see to that if he had to move the heavens themselves.  
  
And Kuma touched his face and said, finally, what he had been thinking all along. "Look at you; you're beautiful, and that little girl sleeping right inside is beautiful, and the night sky is endless, and this is all I need."  
  
~The End~  
  
------------  
  
It's fluffy. I know it. You know it. Sess knows it and hates me for it! But writing that bath time scene. . . I just couldn't resist! Hehe. R&R. Wanna see more of the fics from this arc? Angsty fluff, Fluffy angst. I've got plenty of it. Anyways, TTFN. 


End file.
